Mastodawn

R to @echo_pbreyer: 🇬🇧 Politico leak on open disputes in the #ChatControl negotiations: Will phone calls be scanned? Can foreign countries order removal of content that's legal in your Member State? Removal orders without a judge? https://www.patrick-breyer.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/8612-2026-Document-CSAM-—-presidency-compromise.pdf

🇬🇧 Politico leak on open disputes in the #ChatControl negotiations: Will phone calls be scanned? Can foreign countries order removal of content that's legal in your Member State? Removal orders without a judge? patrick-breyer.de/wp-content…—-presidency-compromise.pdf
---
https://nitter.net/echo_pbreyer/status/2051286081484583248#m

vurk May 5

Sudo May 5

Evening thought as you unwind from the commute:

When was the last time you paid for parking with cash? With a coin?

If you can't remember, you're not alone. Physical meters are disappearing. In their place: mandatory apps that log your location, device fingerprint, and link your license plate to your credit card.

We tap "Pay" without thinking. Every tap is a data transaction — and you're not the customer.

🎙️ ImpracticalPrivacy.com

#MondayVibes #Privacy #SurveillanceCapitalism #DigitalRights

vurk May 5

noyb.eu May 5

🚨 Today, noyb has filed a complaint against LinkedIn. The Microsoft-subsidiary refuses to provide the data hidden behind a premium membership as part of a free access request under Article 15 GDPR.

Read all about it here 👇
https://noyb.eu/en/linkedin-locks-your-gdpr-rights-behind-paywall

LinkedIn locks your GDPR rights behind a paywall

noyb has filed a complaint against the Microsoft-subsidiary with the Austrian data protection authority

noyb.eu

vurk May 1

@bookingcom well done for finally sending out a warning to customers whose data you let scammers steal.

I reported this more than 6 months ago when I was targeted with this scam that had very accurate data that could only have come from you - and you did NOTHING except of course hide it.

How many people's data did you compromise?

When will we say enough is enough and hold these cynical cowards responsible?

#gdpr #dataprotection #privacy, #cybersecurity #compliance

vurk Apr 11

al Apr 10

New on The Sovereign Auditor -- a long read for a Friday afternoon.
France just committed 2.5 million civil servants to leaving Microsoft. The reasoning is simple: a server in Paris is not legally French if the company is governed by US law.
Meanwhile Australia signed a new five-year Microsoft deal in February.
Different calculations. Different conclusions.
https://open.substack.com/pub/sovereignauditor/p/the-exit-and-the-lock-in
#DataSovereignty #CLOUDACT #Linux #OpenSource #GDPR #IsleOfMan #DigitalSovereignty #EU

The Exit and the Lock-In

"Why France is building a forest while Australia buys plastic fruit"

The Sovereign Auditor

vurk Apr 11

6beer Apr 10

Like to play alone? Ubisoft is still watching you! (24 April 2025)

"Today, noyb filed a complaint against the French video game developer and publisher Ubisoft (known for Assassins Creed, Far Cry, Prince of Persia). The company forces its customers to connect to the internet every time they launch a single player game. This is the case even if the game doesn’t have any online features. This allows Ubisoft to collect people’s gaming behaviour. Among other things, the company collects data about when you start a game, for how long you play it and when you close it. Even after the complainant explicitly asked why he is forced to be online, Ubisoft failed to disclose why this is going on. Under Article 6(1) GDPR, there seems to be no valid legal basis to randomly collect such user data."

https://noyb.eu/en/play-alone-ubisoft-still-watching-you #gdpr

Like to play alone? Ubisoft is still watching you!

Ubisoft forces people to connect to the internet before they can play a single player game

noyb.eu

vurk Apr 9

Big US Tech dramatically clutching their pearls: https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-europe/reaffirming-commitment-to-child-safety/

And in other news, quietly settling a class action lawsuit where they were illegally tracking and surveilling children:

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/01/google-will-pay-8-25m-to-settle-child-data-tracking-allegations

When kids used these apps/games they collected IP addresses, device identifiers, usage data, and the child’s location to within five meters, transmitting it to Google without parental consent for the purposes of targeted advertising.

#surveillancecapitalism
#gdpR
#chatcontrol

Reaffirming our commitment to child safety in the face of European Union inaction

Today, because of the expiry of the ePrivacy derogation enabling the use of technology to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM), Europe risks leaving children across the globe less protected from the most abhorrent harm. This concern is shared by a group of almost 250 child rights organizations and many others.For years, a number of technology companies have taken voluntary action to detect, remove and report CSAM including, where appropriate, through hash-matching technology — a widely utilized tool to prevent and disrupt real, ongoing harm to victims and survivors. This is not just a matter of law, but of protecting children.While EU institutions rightly expect technology companies to take action on child safety, the April 3 expiry of the derogation clouds the legal certainty that has helped responsible platforms try to protect our communities, safeguard child victims, and preserve the integrity of our services. We are disappointed by this irresponsible failure to reach an agreement to maintain established efforts to protect children online.As EU institutions continue to negotiate an immediate, interim solution and durable framework, signatory companies (Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Snap) reaffirm their continued commitment to protecting children and preserving privacy, and will continue to take voluntary action on our relevant Interpersonal Communication Services.We call on EU institutions to conclude negotiations on a regulatory framework as a matter of urgency.To learn more about how hash-matching and CSAM detection tools work, please join this upcoming webinar at 3PM CET on Friday, April 10th.

Google

vurk Apr 5

Show thread

Chuckles Apr 3

@EU_Commission wow that sounds really bad. How then does the #DigitalOmnibus handing over all of our personal information to the corporations to build generative AI help matters?

vurk Apr 5

Jesus Castagnetto 🇵🇪Apr 3

From The Register:
"#NHS staff resist using #Palantir #software"

'...Staff reportedly cite #ethics concerns, #privacy worries, and doubt the platform adds much..
'

#Surveillance #SurveillanceCapitalism

https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/03/nhs_staff_against_palantir/?td=keepreading

NHS staff resist using Palantir software

: Staff reportedly cite ethics concerns, privacy worries, and doubt the platform adds much

The Register

vurk Apr 2

Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)Apr 1

Commissioner Séjourné held 84 meetings on #deregulation. All 84 were with business groups. Not one civil society org. Not one. This isn't consultation. This is what corporate capture looks like. 🧵 Check out our new report 👇 corporateeurope.org/en/2026/04/w...

This is what corporate capture...

This is what corporate capture looks like! | Corporate Europe Observatory

Where do the EU deregulation laws come from? From extensive talks between the European Commission and business groups, often in opaque new types of dialogue, according to the report “This is what corporate capture looks like!”

Corporate Europe Observatory